Fantasy Football Week 14: Updated Rankings for Sunday's Action

Months of research, preparation and lineup management all boil down to this. For many fantasy football managers, the playoffs start in Week 14.

Nobody wants to think that a hobby that soaks such a lavish time commitment can end on one play. Your team could lose after a penalty calls back your quarterback's touchdown pass, only for the running back you're facing to then snatch the score.

Even worse, maybe a kicker or defense will sink your season.

Just thinking about it hurts too much, but all anyone can do is set the optimal lineup and hope a win follows. The added stakes amplify the pressure to assemble a killer starting squad, which will lead to many more roster conundrums materializing before Sunday.

Here are some handy rankings to help expedite the process.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Aaron Rodgers	Atlanta
2	Peyton Manning	Buffalo
3	Andrew Luck	at Cleveland
4	Drew Brees	Carolina
5	Tom Brady	at San Diego
6	Russell Wilson	at Philadelphia
7	Ryan Tannehill	Baltimore
8	Matthew Stafford	Tampa Bay
9	Ben Roethlisberger	at Cincinnati
10	Philip Rivers	New England
11	Matt Ryan	Green Bay
12	Cam Newton	at New Orleans
13	Eli Manning	at Tennessee
14	Ryan Fitzpatrick	at Jacksonville
15	Colt McCoy	St. Louis

Ryan Tannehill didn't make the most of a nice Monday matchup in the New York Jets, settling for 235 yards, a touchdown and a pick. He ruined some games during the final hour, but another favorable opponent gives him a second chance.

After getting scorched by a previously dormant Philip Rivers, the Baltimore Ravens possess the NFL's second-worst passing defense, relinquishing 273.9 yards per game. Losing star cornerback Jimmy Smith has sent the secondary into shambles, as shown by ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley.

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With Smith, the Ravens were 5-2 and held quarterbacks to a 86.8 passer rating (No. 11 in the NFL). Without Smith, the Ravens are 2-3 (which includes the game at Cincinnati where Smith was hurt) and quarterbacks have recorded a 113.1 passer rating (31st in the league). 

With Smith, the Ravens gave up seven touchdown passes (tied for fewest in the NFL) and limited teams to 40.4 percent on third downs (14th). Without Smith, the Ravens have allowed 13 touchdown passes (tied for fourth-most in the league) and have watched teams convert 46.2 percent of their third downs (27th). 

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Even though Tannehill endured a lackluster fantasy outing, he still completed more than 70 percent of his passes for the fifth consecutive week. Don't get too deterred by his zero touchdowns either; that was his first such result all season.

He has failed to deliver a single 300-yard passing game this season, but Tannehill's resounding accuracy and great matchup make him a low-end starting quarterback on Sunday.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell	at Cincinnati
2	Arian Foster	at Jacksonville
3	Eddie Lacy	Atlanta
4	Jamaal Charles	at Arizona
5	Justin Forsett	at Miami
6	Marshawn Lynch	at Philadelphia
7	C.J. Anderson	Buffalo
8	LeSean McCoy	Seattle
9	Mark Ingram	Carolina
10	Alfred Morris	St. Louis
11	Tre Mason	at Washington
12	Daniel Herron	at Cleveland
13	Joique Bell	Tampa Bay
14	Isaiah Crowell	Indianapolis
15	Frank Gore	at Oakland
16	Jeremy Hill	Pittsburgh
17	Lamar Miller	Baltimore
18	Ryan Matthews	New England
19	Denard Robinson	Houston
20	Giovani Bernard	Pittsburgh

And boom goes Daniel Herron. Capable fantasy backs are nearly impossible to locate this late in the season, but he has slid perfectly into Ahmad Bradshaw's role, making him a potent No. 2 starter down the stretch.

In two games since Bradshaw went down for the season, Herron has compiled 193 total yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.7 carries, while Trent Richardson continues to crawl up the middle at a snail's pace. 

Richardson's subpar numbers are finally costing him, as he has averaged 9.25 touches over the last four games. Herron will probably have to live with sharing the handoffs, but he's assuming Bradshaw's pass-catching duties.

Besides, he won't need 20 carries to burn the Cleveland Browns, who surrender 132.5 yards per game at 4.4 per carry. Playing for the NFL's best offense certainly contains its perks, including extra scoring opportunities.

Wide Receiver 

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson	Tampa Bay
2	Antonio Brown	at Cincinnati
3	Demaryius Thomas	Buffalo
4	Jordy Nelson	Atlanta
5	Randall Cobb	Atlanta
6	Julio Jones	at Green Bay
7	Josh Gordon	Indianapolis
8	A.J. Green	Pittsburgh
9	Emmanuel Sanders	Buffalo
10	Odell Beckham Jr.	at Tennessee
11	T.Y. Hilton	at Cleveland
12	DeAndre Hopkins	at Jacksonville
13	Golden Tate	Tampa Bay
14	Mike Evans	at Detroit
15	Kelvin Benjamin	at New Orleans
16	Jeremy Maclin	Seattle
17	Keenan Allen	New England
18	Mike Wallace	Baltimore
19	Kenny Stills	Carolina
20	Brandon LaFell	at San Diego
21	Andre Johnson	at Jacksonville
22	Jarvis Landry	Baltimore
23	Julian Edelman	San Diego
24	Torrey Smith	at Miami
25	Anquan Boldin	at Oakland

As the Carolina Panthers bottom out, going two full months without a victory, Kelvin Benjamin remains a valuable fantasy commodity at a loaded position.

Some might look at his game log and realize his worst game of the season came against the New Orleans Saints. Despite getting targeted 10 times, he finished with two catches for 18 yards. Fantasy owners can't afford such a dud this weekend.

Don't let that take away from New Orleans' No. 28 passing defense or Benjamin's 68.7 yards per game. Since that stinker, he has bounced back with 235 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the ensuing three tilts.

Cam Newton has never targeted the neophyte fewer than six times in a game, because who else does he have at wideout? Having nobody but each other, the duo worked together after Wednesday's practice in hopes of avenging Week 9's poor showing.

Head coach Ron Rivera commended them to The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones.

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They were obviously working on something they wanted to (work on). Again, this is an indication of what our guys are like. This is what has been going on for four years now. It doesn’t matter where we are. Guys know there’s work to be done and they stay out and do the extra work. That’s what we’ve had. We’ve had guys that do these things and it’s been paying off for some of these guys. It’s a whole new group of guys compared to last year.

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On his way to a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown rookie campaign, Benjamin will make a better showing of himself against his NFC South rival.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowsi	at San Diego
2	Jimmy Graham	Carolina
3	Greg Olsen	at New Orleans
4	Antonio Gates	New England
5	Julius Thomas	Buffalo
6	Delanie Walker	NY Giants
7	Jordan Reed	St. Louis
8	Travis Kelce	at Arizona
9	Dwayne Allen	at Cleveland
10	Kyle Rudolph	NY Jets
11	Colby Fleener	at Cleveland
12	Larry Donnell	at Tennessee
13	Heath Miller	at Cincinnati
14	Jared Cook	at Washington
15	Jordan Cameron	Indianapolis

Jimmy Graham caught zero catches last week. Jimmy Graham was not targeted once. He explained how the Steelers banished him from the passing game to The Times-Picayune's Evan Woodbery.

"Usually (defenders) wait until I break," said Graham. "(Polamalu and Allen) are smart players. I can tell that they're watching a lot of film and looking at tendencies and formations and splits."

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Stinks for his fantasy owners, but nobody in their right mind is sitting him this week.

This isn't the first time he disappeared from the box score this season. During Week 7, he got blanked by the Detroit Lions. Then he scored four touchdowns in the next three games.

Graham, Drew Brees and Sean Payton aren't depending on the tight end to win them fantasy matchups. Well, probably not. If they can exploit the defense another way, that's what they'll do. Yet the stud never stays down for long.

Don't be the fool who lost while a benched Graham scored two touchdowns.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	San Francisco 49ers	at Oakland
2	Houston Texans	at Jacksonville
3	Detroit Lions	Tampa Bay
4	Minnesota Vikings	NY Jets
5	Green Bay Packers	Atlanta
6	Kansas City Chiefs	at Arizona
7	St. Louis Rams	at Washington
8	Denver Broncos	Buffalo
9	Seattle Seahawks	at Philadelphia
10	Philadelphia Eagles	Seattle

The Kansas City Chiefs are receiving little attention heading into a matchup they can dominate.

Trust Drew Stanton? The correct answer is no, but for his friends and family out there who said otherwise, how about against the league's best passing defense? Remember, the Arizona Cardinals have scored one touchdown in their last two games.

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

There's a clear blueprint to beating the Chiefs: Run it down their throats. They're third worst against the ground game, allowing 4.9 yards per run. Their rushing defense is so bad that the Denver Broncos rightly had Peyton Manning hand it off all night.

Unfortunately for Arizona, Andre Ellington may not play. Bruce Arians labeled him a game-time decision to SiriusXM NFL Radio's Alex Marvez.

Even if he grinds it out hurt, Ellington is averaging 1.9 yards per run over the past four games. The Cardinals are better off rolling with Marion Grice and a newly signed Michael Bush, but neither one will crush the Chiefs like Anderson.

If obvious plays like the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings are already taken, look to Kansas City, a sneaky candidate to have a huge day.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Mason Crosby	Atlanta
2	Stephen Gostkowski	at San Diego
3	Adam Vinatieri	at Cleveland
4	Steven Hauschka	at Philadelphia
5	Cody Parkey	Seattle
6	Justin Tucker	at Miami
7	Connor Barth	Buffalo
8	Phil Dawson	at Oakland
9	Nick Novak	New England
10	Blair Walsh	NY Jets

There's nothing worse than a kicker swaying a playoff matchup. Needing some fluky field goals to pull ahead tarnishes the victory or makes the loss sting all the more. I still feel guilty about Blair Walsh sending me to my championship two years ago. 

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Did somebody mention Walsh? He hasn't lit up the scoreboard for the Minnesota Vikings, but at least he has been consistent, scoring seven points in each of the past three weeks. That number increases in fantasy formats, as he nailed down two 50-yard field goals, upping his season total to five.

The New York Jets are good enough defensively to keep the Minnesota Vikings out of the end zone but not dominant enough to shut them out altogether. Caleb Sturgis kicked three field goals against them on Monday night, so hope Walsh receives the same chances.